3 of 4 Jersey City mayoral candidates spar in their last debate

Sparks flew at last night’s final Jersey City mayoral debate with Mayor Jerramiah Healy threatening to sue his key rival, Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop, who said the mayor’s statements were simply untrue.

Mayoral candidate Abdul Malik participated in the event at School 4 on Bright Street in Downtown, but candidate Jerry Walker missed the debate to attend a campaign fundraiser.

“They are lies and slanderous and we will file a lawsuit,” Healy told Fulop, referring to a Fulop campaign ad that tries to link Healy to the massive 2009 Operation Bid Rig probe.

The ad “was cut and pasted from FBI tapes to create an entire piece of fiction,” Healy said last night.

The ad highlights a meeting the mayor and others had with Solomon Dwek, the FBI informant who roped in dozens of officials and political types who were ultimately busted on corruption charges, including former Deputy Mayor Leona Beldini, a close Healy ally, and former City Council President Mariano Vega, who Healy backed for the post.

“I don’t know how the mayor will sue me for words that he said himself,” Fulop responded.

Healy was never charged with any crimes connected with the federal sting.

Fulop drew a laugh from the crowd of hundreds when he said: “Not even one mailer that had come from the mayor’s (campaign) office has one thing about a vision for Jersey City. Each one has my image distorted and a picture of President Obama on the other side.”

Malik criticized the rancor as “disgusting” and promised to bring a reasoned, efficient, nonpolitical approach to the city’s problems if elected.

“It’s a dirty fight we have seen, and we are seeing it here,” said Malik, who compared politicians to puppets. “Listen my friends, I am not political, I am not controlled by anyone, I don’t have big money . . . This is time to clean up our politics, and I am asking for your help to support me and we can do this together.”

Fulop called it “criminal” that until recently there were no African-Americans on the police force higher than the rank of patrolman.

Malik added there is only one Muslim officer on the force.

Healy said his administration has worked diligently to make the department more diverse.